What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?
The
representation of women can be positive: challenging the
roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a
patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these
representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which
connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her
protagonist is signified through this. The
protagonist has
female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour
connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of
intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant
femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action
genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the
intertextuality. In terms of the
Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the
protagonist in the text is a form of
escapism and also a
male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from
Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of
male gaze too.
Though the
protagonist is an object of
male gaze, it could be suggested that she
sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The
protagonist puts her leg into the
frame of the shot. As she puts into the
frame, it signifies
self objectification, allowing the audience to
fetishise her body. Another shot, a
high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is
voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the
protagonist exert her feminity through
self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a
long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which
stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a
medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are
negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the
split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of
split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can
voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as
patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a
patriarchal society and that women are
subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which
connotes the woman is equally
objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also
negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a
dominant representation.
A range of
close up shots of the female are used to
fetishise her body. There is a
close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the
oppositional reading. However, the more
dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and
connotes a male audience who can
voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an
enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of
action codes.
Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are
represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this
ideology.
Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly
represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this
representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this
representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always
represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are
sexually objectified for male audiences to
fetishise and
vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s
protagonist controls her sexuality through
self objectification, the Stella Artois’
protagonist is
objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the
protagonist’s female
dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a
positive representation. The
dominant reading is that the
protagonist exerts her female
dominance over the male challenging the historical
patriarchal society and even
subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour
feminism. However the
oppositional reading which would favour the
ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the
male gaze and male dominant society.
